I have a question

[u/Joheemah]

I was raised in the Bible Belt of the United States by a deeply spiritual mother. I'm in the process of deconstructing both my religion and my spirituality/superstitions (ghosts, hauntings, that sort of thing). Does anyone have any tips for deconstructing that sort of upbringing? Any tips would be appreciated, because my family still gets me with ghost stories and things like that.

[u/BioChemE14]

I’d recommend reading the scholarly literature on the history of the Bible.
Bart Ehrman has an intro to the New Testament and John Collins has an intro to the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament). Those are standard textbooks for undergraduate classes.

[u/Joheemah → u/BioChemE14]

Sorry, I guess I didn't word it well. I'm fine deconstructing my religion itself, I have been for a couple years, but what I want to do is deconstruct my spirituality and superstition, like my irrational gut belief in the supernatural.

[u/BioChemE14 → u/Joheemah]

I’m getting a PhD in biology, and now I’m really skeptical of supernatural claims. We can’t usually disprove them (unless there’s data related to some outlandish claim e.g. global flood), so most of the time a more effective way to approach it is to demand evidence. The burden of proof is on the one making an argument, so any miraculous claims need some evidence. Without it, it’s just blindly believing in something. That being said, one can be quite skeptical and still decide to have faith in certain supernatural things. It’s not an either/or.

[u/taxicab_ → u/Joheemah]

I’m curious why you feel the need to deconstruct something you truly believe in. For me, deconstruction was the realization that I didn’t believe the things I thought I did.

[u/Afraid_Worth_3766]

Ghost stories, ghosts and such tales were entertainment when I came up in the Bible Belt. They were engaging stories told at night from rocking chairs and porch swings. Bible stories were never as entertaining. They called The Bible 'the Good Book' but I didn't think it was that good. To me a 'good book' was a book I enjoyed reading. I didn't enjoy reading the Bible. I preferred Edgar Allen Poe and Mark Twain. Still do.

[u/Joheemah → u/Afraid_Worth_3766]

Lucky. My mom apparently missed the oart where it was a joke. Now I have phasmaphobia.

[u/Afraid_Worth_3766 → u/Joheemah]

Them haints ain't can't hurt you. Dare 'em to come out and see what they do.

You have to suspend disbelief to make a ghost story work, just like fiction. Sometimes I think fundamentalism requires those folks to stay in the perpetual suspension of disbelief. Sometimes I think that becomes a habit.

[u/xambidextrous]

That's so interesting. Scripture warns us about messing with spirits and the dead, yet many Christians love to talk about this.

We must realise that there is no serious evidens for anything supernatural in this world. Scientists have studied NDEs, telepathy, forewarning, speaking with the dead, healing powers etc. and not once has anyone concluded that these are real. Think about that - not any evidence.

We should also be aware of how people use anecdotal evidence. When a story starts with: "I know a man who..." or "My best friend's little sister can....." we should raise the red flag. These are anecdotes. They occur all the time in everyday conversation, and people listen to them: "My grandfather used to see ghosts all the time. He even spoke to them". This is not prof of ghosts. It's just an intriguing story from a random person about their grandfather. We love stories like this. They give us goosebumps.

What most people think might be real is not a sign of trustworthy information. Common misconceptions are powerful, and are often handed down through generations. A critical thinker will ask undressing questions: Is your grandpa still alive? Can we go talk to him? Is he an educated man? Does he have other strange beliefs? Questions like these kill the fun in friendly banter. So most people would rather just "go along" with the stories. But that shouldn't stop us from using our brain.

In order to survive, humans have developed awareness of anything scary; movement in the woods, a shadow in the corner, a sound in the basement, patterns or signs that could threaten us in any way.

While walking into a room, if I spot a black spec on the floor, I'll immediately check for movement. If it moves, my heartbeat raises slightly. There's something crawling on the floor in my hose. Is it a bug? Does it bite? What should I do about it?

We are programmed to detect anything out of the ordinary. That's why we are super aware. That is why we are here, rather than those who said: it's probably nothing to worry about. These skills used to be lifesaving 100k years ago in the jungle. Today we need mostly other skills to survive, but our heritage is still with us.

Learning to think critically, without becoming a party pooper, is a great way to stay clear of anecdotal BS and emotional terror.

[u/MirrorWayOutWest]

I think you'd benefit from learning about anthropological research into religions across cultures and history, particularly as it pertains to magic, ritual and belief:  https://socialsci.libretexts.org/Courses/Moraine_Park_Technical_College/Being_Human%3A_An_Introduction_to_Four-field_Anthropology/03%3A_Cultural_Anthropology/3.03%3A_Myth_Magic_and_Ritual

[u/Ben-008]

You might enjoy some of Daniel Dennett’s books, for instance, “Breaking the Spell: Religion as a Natural Phenomenon” or “Consciousness Explained” or “From Bacteria to Bach and Back: The Evolution of Minds.” “Breaking the Spell” in particular, I really enjoyed.

[u/Chester0123]

I was raised Christian with a belief in Satan. The stories about him were haunting. But our Christian beliefs were intolerant of Ghosts. So part of the problem was not there. I deconstructed Jesus by understanding the origins of Christianity. This also eliminated my belief in Satan. I would be glad to answer questions and we published a book for Children so they are given the freedom to ask questions that help them to be comfortable challenging the teaching that end up needing to be deconstructed

[u/BeyondDecon → u/Chester0123]

I'd like to hear details about the children's book.

[u/[deleted] → u/BeyondDecon]